Lands ministry officers on the spot

Permanent Secretary in the Lands ministry Dorothy Angote on Monday conducted an impromptu raid that exposed rogue officials. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI

A cartel of rogue officers at the Lands ministry was exposed on Monday when permanent secretary Dorothy Angote carried out an impromptu raid on their workstations.

Officers at Ardhi House, the ministry’s headquarters in Nairobi, were found with thousands of land files which they had no reason to be holding.

Ms Angote raided the Lands department, which handles files for nearly five million title deed holders, at about 10am after complaints of missing files by the public had reached alarming levels.

With cameras rolling, thousands of files were found in the wrong hands as officers were allegedly in the process of soliciting for kickbacks from the owners. “This is a huge network of brokers,” Ms Angote said as she ransacked an office where a large number of files was stashed. “The network involves junior and senior staffers,” she said.

Kenyans seeking the all-important papers are usually told that their files could not be traced or were simply lost. But after parting with money and sometimes shares for a piece of land, the documents quickly resurface. “These officers must explain why they were in possession of documents that they never deal with,” Ms Angote declared.

The Nation learnt that the officers were a part of a larger network that also involves reputable law firms in town. Some 165 such firms have been linked to the illegal activities. The permanent secretary said some of the law firms were using embossers for land documents but said these were no longer in use and those using them would be prosecuted.

Ms Angote said since the abolition of embossers, the ministry’s revenue had grown by Sh150 million, meaning errant officers benefited hugely from the deals. After the day-long search, Ms Angote announced that there would be a major reshuffle and disciplinary action would be taken although she was not specific. “These are the land reforms the country needs,” she said, adding that all the Land offices would be subjected to the same treatment.

“There is a total lack of transparency and accountability among officers,” she said. “By eradicating these brokers and agents, we want to see the office serve the people of Kenya,” she said, adding that the era of “do you know anyone or a relative?” would soon be a thing of the past.

The Lands ministry is a huge revenue earner for the country, making as much as Sh6 billion last year. Lands commissioner Zablon Mabea said the ministry was computerising its processes and this would take five years at an estimated cost of about Sh8 billion.